Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-11-19
FROM THe ALASKAN FIsHERlEa
Interesting Facts Recently Received-A
 Great Industry Undeve1oped

Interesting FactS Recently heceifou"
 Great Industry Undeve1oped. The recent information received by Manager W. A. Wilcox, of the American fish bureau, from the Alaska fisheries is of especial interest at this time to all who arc interested in the resources of that country, and more especially to An1eri- can fishermen. The recent trip of the schooner John Hancock was an excep- tionally successful one. The John Han cock brought from the Aleutian islands 80, 900 codfsh. These fish are dried and average from five to six pounds each, so that the trip aggregated between 100000 and 500,0 pounds. The Hancock also brought $6,0O0 worth of furs. In the near future the Alaskan fisheries may be a great field for the surplus fishermen on the Atlantic coast, if reciprocity in fish with Canada is consummated.
 Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, of the Smith sonian institution, enumerates seventy | five species of food fishes in Alaskan waters over sixty of which he claims to be strictly adapted to the use of man, while the remainder, come under the | 1 beading only as bait for catching the oth- | CTS. Of the sea fishes the codtish stands | foremost in quantity as well as In con- mercial importance.
 Within short time after the purchase of Alaska by the United States, Professor | George Davidson, of the United States coast survey, stated that the soundings of
 Behring sea and of tue Arctic ocean north
 of Beliring strait indicated the largest
 submarine plateau yet known. In the
 eastern half of Behring sea soundings of
 less than 30 fathoms are found over an
 extent of 19,000 square miles. The ex-
 tent of the banks in the Gulf of Alaska,
 between longitude 1G0 degs. and ITO
 iegs., and latitude 60 degs. and 54 degs.,
 has not thus far been estimated, but it is probably equal to that of the banks of Behring sea. In general terms it may be stated that the codfish is found around
 the whole south shore of Alaska. It's
 distribution on banks properly begins, however, with the straits of Fuca, though , it is found occasionally as far south as J tho Farallones. A few schooners fish in t British Columbia waters, especially near l the Alaskan line. The fish is quite abun- : aant in many of the channels of the f Alexandria archipelago, and is found in s Yakutat bay, off the southern and west Y ern shore of Kalak island in Prince Will n jam sound.
 t The first large bank after crossing the h southern boundary of Alaska is found in D. Chatham strait. but another and smaller r. bank lies ill Peril strait, between Baranof I and Chicagof islands. The next bank of IS general importance is the Portlock bank, st located by the explorer of that name, pr along the southeastern coast of Afognak rt and Kadiak islands. The soundings of ar this bank are from 45 to 90 fathoms.
 Some distance to the southeast of Kadiak,
 in latitude 50 degs, 13 mins. and longi-
 tade 153 degs. 20 mins., there is an-
 other bank with soundings of 22 to 25 es fatho!ns. To the southward is found le Smeonof bank, discovered in 1857. The ie famous Shumagin banks are located
 around Nagai, Popof and Ounga islands
 within short distance of the shore
 Most of the shipments of codfish from E Alaska to San Francisco are made iron 0 .his vicinity, the banks heretofore namet
 being worked almost exclusively for loca is consumption.
 r- A very prolific codfish bank exists in e, side of Captains harbor, with shallov h., soundings of from 10 to 20 fathoms. Tn - westernmost codfish bank definitel located in the Aleutian chain of island
 has soundings of 30 fathoms. Man , such banks exist in the vicinity of th
 Aleutian islands, but these rich stores c T, '" food fish will probably remain undi'
 trlrbed for some time to come. Eve :" the banks enumerated here are merel skinned as it were of their abunda1 i"' produce, the fishing being done chief 'h ''inshore" in dories, boats and canoe Oy tho schooners engaged in the buslne
 being employed almost exclusively
 carriers of the catch.
 sr' The codfshery of Alaska may be co sidered as in its infancy. Since Car
 Turner, of the schooner Porpoise, sail'
 from San Francisco in the spring of 1S6 and returned in the same year, after
 brief visit to Queen Charlotte islands al tied the Shumagin group, with cargo urs- marketable cod sh, the industry open Der, by this pioneer has not developed ln su nks. q degree as might have been expect l, from the almost unlimited supply and .rr- favorable location of the banks
 ,iue As has been stated no deep sea fshiT the such as is carried on in the north Atlant sci exists in Alaska. In the channels of Nu- Alexander archipelago the fishing for c ,uv- has until lately been confined altogetl 17n, to the natives of the Thinket tribes, W t ill oppoSed all attempts ot "ii'e nIen re- compete MlOu ehenA III .it' pa 1uSLTy. ln0 lGW SlAsiA oiOOE OA5"SSS
 the business in this region depended al 6s,b gcther upon the inclination of these nati to exert themselves in obtaining tf cargoes. These fishermen use their o ~ appliances, fishing with bark lines
 wooden, iron pointed hooks, and two .
 in a canoe feel satisfied with catch
 thirty or forty fish, which they sell .
 comparatively high rate to the capt;
 of tho sloops, and thus it happens u rand crafts are frequently detained for m year weeks awaiting cargo 'Aa' oouiu "a lh. have been secured within five or six C .pIx by white men.-Gloucester Cor. Bo'
 Globe.
 cott, Tho Geysers of Iceland.
 The Rev Mir. Metcalfe in his hool